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Arrived in Sweden yesterday. The silence is deafening, the stillness makes me restless, but it’s the ideal setting to hear the unheard. Though we live in times of chronic movement, we must pause for thought, reflect, and carefully examine our desires and motivations. In a society where life’s success factors tend to be external and tangible ones, such ‘soul-searching’ doesn’t come naturally. Nevertheless, however alien and awkward it may feel, we must make that investment. Walks in nature, pers

Sri Sacidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura appeared in 1838 in a wealthy family in the Nadia district, West Bengal. He revealed that he is an eternal associate of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu by his extraordinary preaching activities and prolific writing.

The original appearance place of Lord Caitanya had vanished under the indomitable Ganges River. In 1888, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura revealed Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s birth place at the Yogapitha

In 1896 he sent to universities around the world a book

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Bhagavad-gita 9.13 on the morning after Radhasthami.

“In this verse the description of the mahatma is clearly given. The first sign of the mahatma is that he is already situated in the divine nature. He is not under the control of material nature. And how is this effected? That is explained in the Seventh Chapter: one who surrenders unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, SriKrishna , at once becomes freed from the control of material nature. That is the quali

Question: Spiritual people often fast on certain occasions, thus depriving themselves of natural bodily needs. Isn’t such fasting an unnecessary self-torture?
 
Answer by Chaitanya Charan das: Not at all. To the contrary, for many people, their daily gorging of food is an unnecessary self-torture. WHO statistics show that over 1 billion suffer due to obesity, whereas 800 million people suffer due to undernourishment. More health disorders result due to overeating than due to fasting. We eat mor

Today is the merciful appearance of His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktivinod Takur. He was born 178 years ago in India to spread the mission of Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He is called the 7th Goswami because he re-established Mahaprabhu’s movement in Mayapur in an authentic manner strictly adhering to the principles of suddha bhakti as enunciated by the Six Goswamis.

His core principle was twofold (1) nama ruchi (2) jiva doya. In fact, this is the core value of all our sampradaya acharyas. There

The Acceptance of Tridandi sannyasa by Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

Srila Prabhupada accepts Sannyasam 1959 (Circa 1945 AD.)

“One night, Abhay had an unusual dream. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta appeared before him, beckoning. He was asking Abhay to leave home and take sannyasa. Abhay awoke in an intensely emotional state, “How horrible!” He thought. He knew it was not an ordinary dream, yet the request seemed so difficult and unlikely. Take sannyasa! At least it was not something he coul

Disappearance Day of Srila Haridas Thakur, a contemporary of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, known for his constant chanting of the name of Krishna. Mahaprabhu called Haridasa the namacharya, the living example of how to chant the holy names. Though Haridasa was born in a Muslim family, Lord Chaitanya and His devotees respected him as better than the best of brahmanas (Vedic priests). He would not eat or sleep until he finished his daily quota of chanting the name of Krishna 300,000 times.

Along with Lord

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura (1838-1914) is a prominent preceptor acharya in our succession of spiritual masters and disciples coming from Lord Krishna. He was a pioneering spiritual leader, a householder, a magistrate working in colonial India under the British rule, a prolific preacher, writer, and poet. He wrote volumes of books reintroducing the pure teachings of Lord Chaitanya at a time when those teachings had practically become lost. He composed hundreds of devotional songs glorifying Krish

“Dedicated to the sacred service of Srila Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura, who initiated the teachings of Lord Chaitanya in the Western world (McGill University, Canada) in 1896, the year of my birth.” These words are Srila Prabhupada’s dedication to Teachings of Lord Chaitanya, the first book he published after coming to America. They also apply to Srila Prabhupada’s life, which was dedicated to the sacred service of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and his own s

This Subhashita helps us see unfair criticism positively, as a refiner of character –as is fire for gold. In life, few things are as hurting as criticism. Even more excruciating is unwarranted criticism, that is, criticism based on misunderstandings or untruths. We tend to respond to such criticism in one of three broad ways.

Clarify: We try to defuse the antagonism by clarifying the situation. If the critic is too hostile to have a rational discussion with us, we may clarify through an interme

This is a translation of part of a speech delivered in Oriya by HH Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja on September 2, 1993, the 155th anniversary of the appearance of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. On that day a public meeting was held at the Dinabandhu Sahoo Law College, Kendrapara, Orissa, to glorify Thakura Bhaktivinoda, whose portrait was installed in honor of his being the first law graduate of Orissa.

namo bhaktivinodaya

sac-cid-ananda-namine

gaura-sakti-svarupaya

rupanuga-varaya te

“I bow down to

This is the secret. Yasya deve para bhaktir yatha deve tatha gurau [SU 6.23]. If one has staunch faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead and as much faith in the guru, yatha deve tatha gurau, then the revealed scriptures become manifest. It is not the education. It is not the scholarship. It is faith in Krishnaand guru. Therefore Caitanya-caritamrta-kar says, guru-Krishna -krpaya paya bhakti-lata-bija [Cc. Madhya 19.151]. Not by education; not by scholarship. Never says. Caitanya Mahaprabhu

(from the sannyasa book based on Srila Prabhupadas instructions:(but is is instructions for us all)

10. Strives To Advance In Spiritual Life

Sannyasis Do Not Have To Do Anything Except Strive For Advancement In Spiritual Life

As for those who are not grhasthas–the brahmacaris, vanaprasthas and sannyasis–they don’t have to do anything but strive for advancement in spiritual life. This means that three fourths of the entire population should stop sense gratification and simply be engaged in the a

1. He is known by many names, the most common ones being Vamana (the little dwarf), Trivikrama (he who has taken three step; the giant form), and Upendra (Indra’s younger brother);

2. In every planetary system the denizens worship a particular visnu-tattva as their sole Lord (Plaksadvipa, Surya-Narayana; Brahmaloka; Maha-purusa; Maharloka; Yajna-purusa, et cetera) and in the heavenly planets, the demigods worship Lord Visnu in His plenary portion: the four-armed Vamana;

3. When Indra and the

The TOVP is a Project intended to cultivate a genuine Vedic Culture. We have designed the TOVP to have traditional Vedic Architectural elements, especially for the top of the Temple. The architecture on the top of the Temple is the symbol of the Divine Weapon and Power of the Supreme Lord. Hence, we had to seek a well qualified company that would be able to manufacture the Chatri Kalashes and ribs, Dome Kalashes, and the Chakras for the top of our Vedic Temple.

Resulting from manufacturing diff

The Appearance of Lord Vamana

“Bali Maharaj, very intelligent personality. He was the son of Virochana, grandson of Prahlad, great grandson of Hiranyakashipu, great grand-nephew of Hiranyaksha. A very mixed up type of family heritage!”

So he performed yajna to please his guru Shukracharya, and his guru-maharaj was very pleased with him. In fact he arranged for the descendents of Bhrigu Muni to come to perform this yajna. And his disposition, his good qualities, was so pleasing to everyone that

After the disappearance of Shri Rupa and Shri Sanatana Goswamis, Shri Jiva Goswami became the Gaudiya Sampradayacharya to guide all Vaishnavas in Navadwipa, Vrindavana, Jagannatha Puri.

Although he was the undisputed leader, he always acted as a humble servant of all the jivas. Whenever Bengali Vaishnavas visited Vrindavana he would lovingly receive them, arrange for Prasadam and comfortable rooms, an even guide them on Vraja mandala parikrama.

Sri Godrumacandra-bhajanopadesha
Instructions to worship the Moon of Godruma
by Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura

These beautiful verses were published posthumously for the first time in 1950 in Gaudiya magazine, 18.47-8 (pp. 757-8) This edition of Gaudiya magazine is part of the BRC library collection. We offer this to the devotees and readers today in honor of his divine appearance.

yadi te hari-pada-saroja-sudha-
rasa-pana-param hridayam satatam
parihritya griham kali-bhava-mayam
bhaja godruma-ka

Kripamoya Das: Lord Vamanadeva appeared within this world from the womb of Aditi, the mother of the gods. He appeared at midday on the shravan-dvadasi, the 12th day of the lunar month of Shravan when the moon is waxing.

There are many lessons for Vaishnavas to learn from the narration of His activities, as found in the 8th canto, 18th chapter of the Bhagavat Purana (Srimad Bhagavatam). Amongst the lessons are these:

1. That God comes to this world in many forms; not just once, in one form, or